Democrats have launched an effort to bring FIFA chief Gianni Infantino before U.S. legal officials over potential corruption tied to his organization’s links with President Trump’s administration.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of the House Judiciary Committee has written to Infantino requesting that he appear before the committee to discuss “FIFA’s brazen campaign to curry favor with Donald Trump,” The Athletic reported.

Raskin also asked for a list of any gifts given to Trump or his associates, visitor logs for FIFA’s New York and Miami offices, and notice that the organisation preserve any communications between FIFA personnel and Trump.

The move comes after FIFA’s last two major tournaments, this summer’s World Cup and last year’s Club World Cup, were held mostly in the US. The lead-up to both events, and their duration, were marked by Trump appearing alongside Infantino at key moments, which has put the FIFA president’s political neutrality under renewed scrutiny as the 2026 World Cup approaches.

On Monday, Infantino criticised those who raised concerns about aspects of the World Cup, including visa difficulties for players and officials and Trump’s claimed intervention in suspending a ban for USA player Folarin Balogun, saying they were “consumed with hate”.

Raskin also raised questions about FIFA’s leasing of office space in Trump Tower in New York and the creation of the FIFA Peace Prize, which was awarded to Trump last year.

“Over the past 18 months, you invented a hilariously fake ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ to award to President Trump, who has made no secret of the fact that he covets the Nobel Peace Prize,” the letter states. “These actions appear designed to induce President Trump and his Administration to make decisions in FIFA’s favor.”

White House dismisses Democrat probe

Raskin cannot compel Infantino to appear before the House Judiciary Committee, which has oversight of all federal laws, the Department of Justice and the FBI, because Democrats are in the minority, although that could change after this year’s midterm elections.

In response to the letter, which was sent on Sunday, a White House spokesperson dismissed Raskin as “lightweight” and “a stupid person’s idea of a smart person”.

They told The Athletic: “No other president in history could have pulled off the historic feat that President Trump delivered for the American people and the world.

“Thanks to his bold vision and decisive leadership, the 2026 FIFA World Cup generated billions of dollars in revenue, created a massive economic boost across host cities, and delivered a safe, secure, and seamless experience for millions of fans and athletes from around the globe.

“It will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest and most successful sporting events in history.”

Infantino has already avoided an investigation from the International Olympic Committee after it ruled that an official complaint alleging he breached obligations on political impartiality was outside its remit.

Following Infantino’s criticism of World Cup critics on Monday, Javier Tebas, the outspoken president of Spain’s LaLiga, posted on social media: “When a leader dedicates an entire message to disqualifying those who exercise legitimate scrutiny, it’s inevitable to wonder… why precisely now? Is there something that explains such a defensive tone? Is something happening that we don’t know about?”